For those of you that want to be in the city but get out of the city for the day I have a great spot for you! A place you can wander around and take in the art of the garden. Pack a lunch and find a nice grassy spot for you and your crew to enjoy a relaxing day outside just a few minutes from Center City.

The Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park next to the Please Touch Museum is a great place to take in a lovely day. Built in 1976 for the country’s Bicentennial on the site of Horticultural Hall built in 1876 lies a large glass building that houses lots of local and exotic plants.

The Horticultural Center is free to walk in and out of, and the Grounds are free to hang out on. The Japanese Gardens, known as Shofuso, is the only thing you would have to pay for if you decided to go. A stunning Japanese Garden, lush with plants and zen, is a very small but dense area of the grounds. I hope you get to relax and get back to nature while you are there.